7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Cumberland County, Maine.
Verified from official government sources
Cumberland County does not adopt a code of ordinances and has no grass-height or tall-weeds rule. Grass-height enforcement is a municipal matter under 30-A MRS § 3001 home-rule authority — Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, and other Cumberland County municipalities maintain their own nuisance/property-maintenance ordinances. The unincorporated areas of Maine are governed by the Land Use Planning Commission (12 MRS § 685-A), but Cumberland County contains no Unorganized Territory.
Cumberland County has no tree-trimming or tree-protection ordinance of its own. Tree cutting in Cumberland County is governed by (1) the mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act, 38 MRS § 435 et seq., which limits vegetation removal within 250 ft of great ponds, rivers, wetlands, and tidal waters, and (2) the individual municipality's tree or land-use code. The state Forest Service operates under 12 MRS § 8867 (Forest Practices Act) for commercial harvests.
Cumberland County does not enforce a noxious-weed or vegetation-control ordinance. State-level invasive-plant control is administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry under 7 MRS § 2301 et seq. (terrestrial invasive plants) and 38 MRS § 410-N (invasive aquatic plants). Municipal property-maintenance ordinances handle tall-weed nuisance complaints under 30-A MRS § 3001.
Cumberland County does not regulate outdoor water use. The Portland Water District (PWD), a quasi-municipal utility chartered under PL 1975 ch. 477 (Private and Special Laws), supplies most of greater Portland from Sebago Lake and sets any drought-stage irrigation restrictions for its 11-municipality service area. The Maine Drinking Water Program (22 MRS § 2611) and Maine DEP (38 MRS § 470 et seq.) set source-water protection rules.
Rainwater harvesting is fully legal throughout Maine and Cumberland County. Maine has no statute restricting rainwater capture (unlike some western states), and Cumberland County imposes no rules. The Maine plumbing code (22 MRS § 2491 et seq.) regulates cross-connection between harvested rainwater and potable supply if cisterns are plumbed indoors.
Cumberland County does not require native plantings. Within the 250-ft shoreland zone (38 MRS § 435 et seq.), municipalities must enforce vegetation-retention standards that favor existing native cover. Maine's prohibited-invasive-plant list (7 MRS § 2301 / DACF Chapter 575) effectively narrows available landscape stock toward natives or non-invasive cultivars.
Cumberland County has no ordinance addressing artificial turf on private property. Maine's landmark PFAS-in-products law, 38 MRS § 1614 (LD 1503 / PL 2021 ch. 477, amended by LD 217 in 2023), phases out the sale of products containing intentionally added PFAS by January 1, 2032 — which captures most artificial turf containing PFAS as a manufacturing aid. The Maine DEP rules implementing § 1614 require manufacturer notification.
1 cities in Cumberland County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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